by Holly
This Chicken Marsala recipe is not only crazy easy to make, it’s better than any fancy Italian restaurant!
Tender chicken breasts are browned and cooked in simple one-pan mushroom wine sauce! Perfect over pasta with crusty bread.
Chicken Marsala
What is Chicken Marsala? This Italian-inspired dish is very popular for good reason. Chicken in a mushroom wine sauce is quick to make and great over fresh pasta.
MARSALA
Marsala is a type of Sicilian fortified wine, similar to sherry or port. It is the base ingredient of the sauce in this recipe. Marsala comes in both sweet and dry versions (you want to buy dry Marsala for this recipe).
Other ingredients for Chicken Marsala include mushrooms, shallots (or onion), thyme, and butter.
CHICKEN BREASTS
The best Chicken Marsala uses chicken fillets. Chicken fillets are thin pieces of chicken breast that cook quickly and evenly.
If you have only whole chicken breasts, cut them in half lengthwise.
- Start with boneless, skinless breasts and your sharpest thin bladed knife.
- Using a paper towel, firmly grab and hold the thinnest end of the breast.
- Slice toward the thickest end, horizontally, so you wind up with two even halves.
How to Make Chicken Marsala
This easy recipe comes together in a few stages. Here’s all you do:
- Pound chicken breasts to ¼ inch thickness and dredge in flour (per recipe below). Brown on the stovetop.
- For Sauce: In the same pan (you want the flavor from all those browned chicken bits), add shallots or onions, thyme, and mushrooms.
- Marsala Sauce: Add the Marsala wine and remaining sauce ingredients and reduce. Serve with the chicken.
This dish doesn’t traditionally contain cream however to make a creamy chicken marsala, substitute 1/3 cup of heavy cream for the same amount of chicken broth.
What to Substitute for Marsala
If possible, try to use marsala because, of course, any substitutions will change the flavors of the dish (although the below ideas will still be delish).
- Madeira wine
- sherry or port
- white wine
Crock Pot Directions
You can make a crock pot Chicken Marsala. You don’t even have to fillet the breasts for this version (in fact thicker or even bone in is better). Just place all the ingredients in a slow cooker and cook on high for 3-4 hours or on low for six.
Then make a cornstarch and water slurry to thicken the sauce, and serve over pasta, for a super yummy and easy dinner.
What to Serve With Chicken Marsala
Chicken Marsala sauce is very rich and flavorful, and a starch completes the meal perfectly. You can serve it over angel hair pasta to fill the plate.
Serve this creamy chicken marsala over pasta with a side of garlic bread and a big fresh Italian Salad.
To complete the presentation, plate it up with some roasted broccoli or roasted Brussels sprouts. And don’t forget a crusty, rustic bread, or 30 Minute Dinner Rolls to sop up the sauce.
More Chicken Recipes You’ll Love
- Baked Chicken Thighs – easy and juicy as can be
- Chicken Parmesan – classic Italian made easy
- Creamy Chicken Enchiladas – so delicious!
- Chicken Lasagna – comfort food
- Crispy Breaded Chicken – crunchy yet tender
Did you love this Chicken Marsala? Be sure to leave a rating and a comment below!
Easy Chicken Marsala Recipe
Prep Time 7 minutes
Servings 4 servings
Ingredients
- 4 chicken breasts boneless-skinless 5-6 oz each
- ½ cup flour
- salt & pepper to taste
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons butter
- ¼ teaspoon thyme
- 1 small shallot diced (or onion)
- 8 ounces mushrooms white or brown
- 1 ½ tablespoons flour
- ½ cup Marsala wine
- ¾ cup chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons parsley or chives for garnish
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Instructions
- Pound chicken to ¼" thick (you can cut them in half if they're very large). Season with salt and pepper and dredge in flour.
- Preheat olive oil in a large pan over medium high heat. Cook chicken in batches, 3-4 minutes per side or until cooked through. Remove chicken and place on a plate.
- In the same pan, add 2 tablespoons butter, thyme and shallot. Cook until tender, about 3 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook until juices are released, about 5 minutes. Stir in flour 1 1/2 tablespoons flour and cook 1 minute more.
- Add Marsala wine and broth and simmer about 3 minutes, until thickened and bubbly.
- Place chicken back into the pan and simmer 2-3 minutes or until hot.
- Garnish and serve over pasta.
Nutrition Information
(Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.)
I made this tonight and it was amazing! I made it exactly as written, and tripled the recipe. The only change I made was I cut the chicken into strips after it was cooked and before I added it to the sauce so it would be easier to eat with pasta. So yummy! At first, I thought the sauce was too liquidy, but it thickened up to the perfect consistency after all the chicken was added and it simmered for a bit. Thank you for sharing this great recipe!
This recipe sounds delicious. Can it be made ahead and reheated the next day
Hi Kathleen, I have made tried reheating this recipe and it works great. The sauce does end up a little thicker than intended but I just added a little extra broth to thin it out again.
Looks yummy! I can’t wait to try it.
Very pleasantly surprised at how good this was for minimal effort!! I have another marsala recipe that is much more involved, and I think this recipe was almost as good. I will definitely make this again!
This was delicious ! I made double the sauce amount including double mushrooms to serve it over angel hair. This will be my go to chicken marsala moving foward.
Easy to make but it lacks something. Can I add some more spices.
Sure you can Delores. You can increase the spices or even try lightly toasting them in a dry non-stick pan until fragrant.
I was wondering which brand of wine you recommend. I don’t know wines but I was told not to use a cheep one but rather one I’d enjoy drinking.
For this recipe Sandy, we use a dry marsala wine. You may want to ask the person at the wine shop about the brands to pick one you’d like to drink as well.
Delicious
Love this dish!!
Very easy and above all delicious !! Thx for sharing these incredible recipes, Holly. This is my go to site now !
Holly, this chicken Marsala recipe was outstanding! I made it in the crockpot, the smell was intoxicating! I could not wait to try it! I did add cream to thicken the sauce and served it over mashed potatoes. I have never made this before but I will definitely be making it again and again! Thank you, Sue
Oh boy Sue, that sounds so delicious!
I would love to join i love too cook
We’d love to have you Joy! To receive our newsletters, you can sign up here or scroll down to the bottom of the post and you will see a signup box.
Made this tonight and everyone loved! Easy! And perhaps healthier bc no heavy cream in the recipe.